For tomorrow's party, I made my traditional pot of chili. Over the years, it has slowly evolved. This time, I borrowed an idea from the winning recipe of Boston's Firehouse Chili Cook-Off. Instead of browning the ground beef, he grilled the ground beef as hamburgers, then broke them up for the chili. I did the same thing, but used ground turkey. Instead off little pieces of ground turkey, you get visible chunks of meat.( Recipe )

My local supermarket has started carrying jars of Wickles (Wicked Pickles). The pickles are sweet, but spicy (there are a couple of hot peppers in each jar). But what I like best about them is the images on the label, especially the relish jar.

The pickle jar has an image of a pepper and a pickle dancing together. The relish jar shows the pepper and pickle running away, chased by a lawn mower.

This morning I woke up from a dream about exploring a foreign city. The last thing I remember was a pastry shop that had yummy looking desserts. The strangest of them was a pan of brownies with donuts embedded in them.

Now I'm wondering if it would be possible to make the brownies without ending up with desiccated donuts?

I went to the Friendly Toast for dinner yesterday. On their menu and the specials board they say they might be expanding to a location in the Boston area, if they can find investors (they offer 2% of the profits for each $10,000 invested).

"PORTSMOUTH — What do you get when you combine an eccentric woman with a love for the Salvation Army, two English degrees and zero experience in cooking?

A successful, eclectic restaurant that no one can get enough of, called the Friendly Toast, and its owner, Melissa Jasper, who is full of flashy style and charm.

[...]

Jasper has considered selling the restaurant down the road, if it comes to that. She has also put a blurb on the back of her menu that reads, "We are interested in opening another location and are looking for investors to profit-share with us. If you are curious, e-mail us at pixietoast@comcast.net.

With an investor, a second location is possible. Jasper has considered Newburyport, Mass., or the Boston area for expansion.

Chain of Indian foodsTo find everything from chutney to exotic spices for blending your own curry, stock up at the new Patel Brothers market in Waltham. Indian specialties that line the floor-to-ceiling shelves here include dried lentils, pickles, almond powder, and cardamom pods. Several varieties of flour and rice come in 20-pound bags. The freezer contains individual dinners such as chicken tikka masala or saag paneer. Much of the fresh produce here looks familiar -- potatoes, bananas, mangoes -- but you can also find bitter squash, miniature eggplants, and bunches of fresh fenugreek leaves. This is the first New England location for the national Patel Brothers chain , which has 40 locations from New Jersey to Chicago.

A couple of days ago, driving through Tewksbury I saw a new sign saying:

Johnny's MarketMiddle Eastern Food

I didn't have time to stop, but I made a note of it. When I got home, I called them up and asked if they carry lamejunes. It turns out they carry both fresh and frozen, regular meat or spicy. I'm pleased. I love lamejunes(*).

The store also carries baklava and other pastries, several different varieties and brands of havlah, several barrels of olives (I'm not an olive fan, so I didn't really notice), spices, beverages, and other stuff that's not easy to find in the area. The market just opened 3 months ago.( More raving about lamejunes )